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HONG KONG, April 6: Asian stocks gave Wall Street’s positive lead limited attention on Wednesday with local concerns over cooling economies and corporate earnings undermining New York’s improved performance. Dealers said investors had generally cheered a slight dip in oil prices which fueled modest buying on Wall Street overnight but apart from Tokyo and Hong Kong, markets that rose on the day were driven by domestic factors.
In Asian trade, oil prices eased below 56 dollars amid expectations the US energy inventories weekly snapshot to be released later in the day would show a rise in gasoline stocks.
TOKYO: Share prices closed 0.45 per cent higher led by gains in blue-chips and tech shares amid brighter prospects for Wall Street and a drop in the price of oil.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s benchmark Nikkei-225 index rose 52.85 points to 11,827.16. The broader TOPIX index of all first section shares gained 6.44 points or 0.54 per cent to 1,196.23.
HONG KONG: Prices closed higher led by select blue chips after Wall Street’s modest overnight gains and easing oil prices.
Dealers said gains in prominent stocks such as Hutchison Whampoa, China Mobile, China Unicom and Standard Chartered provided support to the market.
The Hang Seng Index closed up 48.85 points or 0.36 per cent at 13,562.26 on turnover of 17.55 billion Hong Kong dollars.
SYDNEY: Shares eased 0.33 per cent on a day when the Reserve Bank left interest rates steady amid concerns that economic growth was slowing.
The SP/ASX 200 shed 13.5 points to 4,118.9 while the broader All Ordinaries Index was down 11.0 points to 4,106.2.
SINGAPORE: Share prices closed 0.37 per cent higher, lifted by gains in smaller capitalised stocks.
The Straits Times Index rose 7.97 points to 2,165.78 on volume of 546 million shares valued at 566 million Singapore dollars (341 million US).
Gainers led losers 245 to 154, with 688 stocks unchanged.
KUALA LUMPUR: Prices closed 0.93 per cent lower in listless trade as foreign funds trimmed their holdings amid fading hopes of a repegging of the local currency.
Market talk of a possible revaluation of the ringgit had created some interest from foreign funds in local currency holdings, dealers said, but the government had made it clear there are no such plans for now.
JAKARTA: Share prices closed 0.62 per cent higher led by mining stocks, although trading was cautious due to worries over rising domestic interest rates.
The Jakarta Stock Exchange composite index closed up 6.762 points at 1,103.288 on volume of 1.08 billion shares valued at 1.01 trillion rupiah (106.52 dollars).
Advancers led decliners 95 to 36, while 62 stocks were unchanged.
WELLINGTON: Share prices closed 0.5 per cent higher, with investors seizing on both emerging pockets of value and defensive stocks.
The benchmark NZSX 50 Gross Index rose 15.11 points to 3,063.74 on turnover of 150.9 million New Zealand (106.3 million US) dollars.
MUMBAI: Indian stocks closed 0.86 per cent higher as easing oil prices propelled purchases with investors discarding a likely fall in the projected eight per cent growth rate forecast for the next few years.
The Bombay Stock Exchange’s 30-share Sensex rose 56.12 points to 6,606.41.—AFP
